Transport assembly with a cart for conveying items

Abstract

The article transport assembly includes a lift cart and one or more brackets. The lift cart includes a body and a workbench disposed on the body. The brackets are disposed on a surface of the workbench. Each bracket is configured to support an article and includes a panel and at least two wheels attached to an underside of the panel. The brackets are operable to move along the surface of the workbench.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport assembly, and more particularly to a transport assembly including a cart for moving items. Background Art

[0002] The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

[0003] Carts are used in various applications to transport parts from one location to another. In one application, a manufacturing facility uses carts to transfer equipment to different machines. For example, a honing machine may require a conventional universal joint fixture changeout, during which the universal joint fixture in the honing machine is replaced with a new fixture. This operation may require one cart for holding the fixture and a second cart for holding a mobile lift for the replacement fixture. This changeover operation can be time consuming, thus affecting manufacturing output.

[0004] Furthermore, even if the distance is a few inches, transferring a component from one location to another may require physical effort. Such movement may even cause injury to the operator. These and other issues are addressed by the teachings of the present disclosure. Summary of the invention

[0005] In one form, the present disclosure is directed to an article transport assembly that includes a lift cart and one or more brackets. The lift cart includes a body and a workbench disposed on the body. The one or more brackets are disposed on a surface of the workbench. Each bracket is configured to support an article and includes a panel and at least two wheels attached to an underside of the panel. The brackets are operable to move along the surface of the workbench.

[0006] In another form, the article transport assembly further includes a fence disposed along the perimeter of the work station, the fence defining an opening through which articles are moved to and from the work station.

[0007] In another form, the article transport assembly further includes one or more locks for securing the bracket to the workstation and unlocking the bracket from the workstation.

[0008] In one form, the workbench defines a plurality of holes extending through a surface of the workbench, each bracket defines a hole extending through the panel, and the lock includes a post. In a locked state, the post extends through a hole from the plurality of holes in the workbench and the hole of the bracket to secure the bracket to the cart. In an unlocked state, the post is located over the hole to release the bracket from the workbench.

[0009] In another form, the lift cart is a scissor lift cart.

[0010] In another form, the work platform extends beyond the perimeter of the lift cart body.

[0011] In one form, the lift cart includes a cart lock to secure and release the lift cart from the object receiving the item. The cart lock extends from the underside of the workbench adjacent the main body.

[0012] In another form, at least one of the bays is empty while the cart is being moved.

[0013] In one form, the present disclosure is directed to an article transport assembly, which includes a lift cart, a plurality of slides, a first lock, and a plurality of second locks. The lift cart includes a work surface whose height is adjustable. The plurality of slides are disposed on a surface of the work surface and are operable to move along the surface. The first lock is disposed on the lift cart and is operable to lock the position of the lift cart relative to an object. The plurality of second locks are disposed on the plurality of slides and are operable to secure the slides to the work surface of the lift cart.

[0014] In another form, the article transport assembly includes a fence extending along the perimeter of the work station. The fence defines an opening through which articles are moved to and from a slide in the plurality of slides.

[0015] In another form, the workbench defines a plurality of holes extending through the workbench surface, each slide plate defines a hole extending through the slide plate, and each of the plurality of second locks includes a handle and a post extending from the handle. The post extends in a hole from the plurality of holes in the workbench and in a hole of a slide plate from the plurality of slide plates to secure the slide plate to the lift cart. The handle is operable to move the second lock from the hole and place the second lock in the hole to release and secure the slide plate from the workbench.

[0016] In one form, a first lock extends from an underside of the work platform and is configured to engage a side wall member of the object to secure the lift cart to the object.

[0017] In another form, the first lock includes a slot that engages an edge of a side wall member of the object.

[0018] In one form, the present disclosure is directed to a transport assembly for transporting a universal joint fixture to a honing machine. The assembly includes a scissor-type dolly, at least two slides, and a plurality of locks. The scissor-type dolly includes a height-adjustable workbench. The slides are disposed on and movable along a surface of the workbench. Each slide includes a slot for retaining a fixture. The plurality of locks are operable to secure and release the slides to and from the workbench.

[0019] In another form, during a transport operation of the fixture, at least one of the slides is empty.

[0020] In another form, the transport assembly further includes a fence disposed along the perimeter of the work platform. The fence defines an opening through which the fixture is moved to and from the work platform.

[0021] In one form, the transport assembly further includes a cart lock extending from an underside of the work table. The cart lock is configured to engage a fixture access door of the honing machine.

[0022] In another form, a scissor-type cart defines a channel for receiving fluid from a fixture being transported by the cart.

[0023] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein.It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order that the present disclosure may be better understood, its various forms will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0025] Figure 1A is a perspective view of a transport assembly according to the teachings of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 1B yes Figure 1A A partial top view of the transport assembly;

[0027] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a workbench of a transport assembly according to the teachings of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 3A is a top view of a bracket of a transport assembly according to the teachings of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 3B is a side view of a carriage of a transport assembly according to the teachings of the present disclosure; and

[0030] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a bracket secured to a workbench by a bracket lock in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0031] The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts and features.

[0033] refer to Figure 1A and1B The transport assembly 100 of the present disclosure may be operated to transport one or more items 102 (e.g., fixtures, parts, etc.) to, for example, a machine. In one form, the transport assembly 100 includes a lift cart 104 and one or more brackets 106 (e.g., 106 in FIG. 1 ) for supporting the items 102 to be transported. 1 Up to 106 5 ).

[0034] The lift cart 102 includes a body 110, a plurality of wheels 112 attached to the underside of the body 110, and a work table 114 disposed on the body 110. The body 110 includes a height adjustment mechanism for lifting and supporting the work table 114. For example, in one form, the body 110 is configured as a scissor lift cart that includes a hydraulic pump or an electric motor for adjusting the height of the work table 114. The present disclosure is also applicable to other height-adjustable carts and should not be limited to scissor lift carts.

[0035] The lift cart 102 may be configured in a variety of suitable ways depending on the item 102 being transported and the tray 106. Figure 2 In one form, the lift cart 102 includes a fence 116 disposed along the perimeter of the work surface 114 to prevent the bracket 106 from falling off the cart 104. The fence 116 also defines an opening 118 through which the items 102 are transferred to and removed from the cart 102. In another form, in order to accommodate items that may have fluids, the lift cart 104 has a channel 120 defined between the work surface 114 and the fence 116, which is used to collect fluids dripping from the items 102, thereby preventing the fluids from accumulating on the surface of the work surface 114.

[0036] Reference Figure 3A and 3B , the carriage 106 (which may also be referred to as a slide) includes a panel 124 and a plurality of wheels 126 attached to the underside of the panel 124. The carriage 106 is operable to slide along the workbench 114. The carriage 106 can be configured in a variety of suitable ways to accommodate the article 102, and thus can be customized for a particular application. For example, in one form, the carriage 106 is configured to receive a universal joint fixture for a honing machine and includes a slot 128 defined along a surface of the panel 124 to accommodate the fixture.

[0037] To prevent unwanted movement of the bracket 106, the assembly 100 also includes a bracket lock for securing the bracket 106 to the workbench 114 and unlocking the bracket 106 from the workbench 114. Figure 4In one form, the bracket lock 130 includes a post member 132 having a handle 134 and one or more posts 136 extending from the handle 134. The workbench 114 and the bracket 106 are configured to receive the post member 132. For example, in one form, the workbench 114 may define a plurality of holes 138 or ports, and each bracket 106 defines a hole 140 ( Figure 3A ). The hole 138 and the hole 140 are part of the carriage lock 130. That is, in order to secure the carriage 106 to the workbench 114, the pillar 136 of the pile member 132 extends through the hole 140 of the carriage 106 and one or more holes 138 of the workbench 114. The pile member 132 can be removed and installed by the handle 134. Although one form of lock is shown, other locking mechanisms can also be used and are also within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the lock can be a brake member disposed at the wheel 126 of the carriage 106 and can be operated to engage and disengage with the wheel to prevent the wheel from moving.

[0038] To control the movement of the lift cart 104, the article transport assembly 100 includes one or more cart locks operable to maintain the position of the cart 104. Figure 1A and Figure 2 In one form, the cart lock is provided as a brake 150 disposed at one or more wheels of the cart and operable to engage and disengage the wheels. In another form, the cart lock is provided as a channel member 152 that connects the lift cart 104 to a machine that receives the items 102. For example, the channel member 152 includes a panel 154 defining a channel 156 that engages a side wall portion 158 of a staging area 160 of the machine. In one form, in order to connect to the side wall portion 158, the height of the workbench 114 is adjusted to be located above the side wall portion 158 (e.g., Figure 1A ) and then lowered so that the side wall portion 158 is placed within the groove 156 of the groove member 152 (as shown in position "A" in FIG. Figure 1A 104. The side wall portion 158 may be located at other suitable locations on the machine and should not be limited to the staging area. The lift cart 104 may include other suitable cart locks that are operable to restrict the movement of the lift cart 104 and should not be limited to the locks described herein.

[0039] An exemplary application of a transport assembly 100 is described herein. The assembly is configured to transport a new universal joint fixture to a honing machine and replace the new fixture with a worn fixture disposed in the machine. In one form, the transport assembly 100 is configured to include a first bracket 106 having at least one empty bracket (i.e., a first bracket 106). 1 ) of a plurality of brackets 1061 Up to 106 5 The transport assembly 100 is moved and fixed to the machine. For example, a workbench 114 having a trough member 152 disposed along the lower side of the workbench 114 is disposed at a counter 162 ( Figure 1B ). The height of the workbench 114 is increased and the position of the trough member 152 is aligned above the side wall member 158. The trough member 152 is then lowered to the side wall member 158 so that the edge of the side wall member 158 is positioned in the trough 156. In addition to or in lieu of coupling the transport assembly 100 to the machine, the position of the transport assembly 100 may be locked by engaging the brake 150 of the lift cart 104.

[0040] In order to replace the fixture from the lifting cart 104 with the worn fixture in the machine, the empty bracket 106 1 ( Figure 1B ) is separated from the workbench 114 and slidably moved, or in other words, ambled toward the opening 118 defined by the fence 116, and then connected to the workbench 114 via the bracket lock 130. The worn fixture resting on a tabletop, such as a staging area near the workbench 114, is then slid onto the bracket 106. 1 Then place bracket 106 1 The bracket with the new fixture (i.e., the second bracket 106) is separated from the workbench 114 and moved to an empty position on the workbench 114, and then connected to the workbench. 2 ) is separated from the workbench 114 and then moved toward the opening 118. The new fixture is slid onto the table 162 and then fed into the machine.

[0041] The other worn fixture is then removed from the machine and placed on the table 162. The worn fixture is moved from the table 162 to the second bracket 106. 2 Upper, second bracket 106 2 It is then translated to another position on the workbench 114 where it is connected to the workbench 114 using a bracket lock 130. In one form, one or more brackets 106 are slidably moved along the workbench 114 to move the second bracket 106 2 , to allow another carriage 106 with a new fixture to move to a docking position for unloading the new fixture and receiving the worn fixture. The carriages 106 translate toward the opening one by one to unload the new fixture and receive the worn fixture until the machine is equipped with all the new fixtures.

[0042] By having a carriage, the operator can transfer items from the cart to the machine by sliding the items along the work table to the opening rather than lifting the items from the cart, thereby limiting the physical work performed by the operator. In addition, one cart can be used to transport new items and receive worn items, thus reducing the complexity of the operation and reducing the time required to replace parts.

[0043] The description of the present disclosure is merely exemplary in nature, and thus, variations that do not depart from the essence of the present disclosure are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure. These variations should not be regarded as departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An article transport assembly, comprising: A lifting cart, the lifting cart comprising a main body and a workbench arranged on the main body, wherein the height of the workbench is adjustable; a cart lock extending from an underside of the work platform, wherein the cart lock includes a slot member configured to engage the side wall members of an object to secure the lift cart to the object when the work platform is lowered such that the side wall members of the object are positioned within the slot member; as well as one or more carriages disposed on a surface of the workbench, wherein the carriages are configured to support an item and each carriage comprises a panel and at least two wheels attached to an underside of the panel, wherein the one or more carriages are operable to move along the surface of the workbench, Wherein, when the cart moves, at least one of the brackets is empty, and the workbench includes an opening, and a plurality of the brackets are translated one by one toward the opening to unload new items and receive worn items using the empty brackets until all new items are equipped.

2. The article transport assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The lift cart defines a channel for receiving fluid from an item being transported by the cart.

3. The article transport assembly according to claim 1, comprising at least four of said brackets.

4. The article transport assembly of claim 1, further comprising one or more locks to secure and unlock the one or more brackets to the work station.

5. The article transport assembly according to claim 4, wherein: The table defines a plurality of holes extending through the surface of the table, Each bracket defines an aperture extending through the panel, and The lock includes a post, wherein in a locked state, the post extends in a hole from the plurality of holes in the workbench and in the hole of the bracket to secure the bracket to the cart, and in an unlocked state, the post is above the hole to unlock the bracket from the workbench.

6. The article transport assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The lift cart is a scissor lift cart.

7. The article transport assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The work platform extends beyond a perimeter of the body of the lift cart.

8. The article transport assembly according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the carriages comprises four wheels.

9. The article transport assembly according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the brackets defines features for retaining the items.

10. The article transport assembly according to claim 9, wherein: The feature is a slot for holding the item.

11. The article transport assembly of claim 1 , further comprising one or more locks to secure and unlock the one or more brackets to and from the work station, wherein: The work platform extends beyond the periphery of the body of the lift cart, The workbench defines a plurality of holes extending through the surface of the workbench, Each bracket defines an aperture extending through the panel; The lock includes a post, wherein in a locked state, the post extends in a hole from the plurality of holes in the workbench and in the hole of the bracket to secure the bracket to the cart, and in an unlocked state, the post is above the hole to release the bracket from the workbench.

12. The article transport assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a fence arranged along the periphery of the workbench, wherein the fence defines the opening through which articles are moved to and from the workbench.

13. An article transport assembly, comprising: A lift cart comprising a workbench, wherein the height of the workbench is adjustable; a plurality of slide plates disposed on the surface of the workbench and operable to move along the surface of the workbench; a first lock including a slot member disposed on the lift cart and extending from an underside of the workbench and configured to engage the side wall members to secure the lift cart to the object when the workbench is lowered such that the side wall members of the object are positioned within the slot member; as well as a plurality of second locks disposed on the plurality of slides and operable to secure the slides to the work table of the lift cart, Wherein, when the lifting cart moves, at least one of the slides is empty, and the workbench includes an opening, and multiple slides are translated toward the opening one by one to unload new items and use the empty slides to receive worn items until all new items are equipped.

14. A transport assembly for transporting a universal joint fixture to a honing machine, the assembly comprising: A scissor-type cart having a workbench, wherein the height of the workbench is adjustable; at least two slides, the at least two slides being disposed on the surface of the workbench and movable along the surface of the workbench, wherein each of the slides comprises a slot for holding a fixture; and a plurality of locks operable to secure and unlock the slide plate to and from the workbench, the plurality of locks comprising a cart lock extending from an underside of the workbench, wherein the cart lock comprises a slot member configured to engage with the side wall member to secure the scissor-type cart to the honing machine when the workbench is lowered such that the side wall member of the honing machine is positioned within the slot member, Wherein, when the scissor cart moves, at least one of the slides is empty, and the workbench includes an opening, and multiple slides are translated one by one toward the opening to unload new fixtures and use the empty slides to receive worn fixtures until the honing machine is equipped with all new fixtures.

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